SoFi Stadium workers vote to authorize strike with World Cup days away
Key takeaways
- Nearly 2,000 food and beverage workers at SoFi Stadium voted overwhelmingly Friday to authorize a strike just a week before the venue will stage the first World Cup game on U.S. soil in more than three decades.
- Protestors marched to local FIFA organizing offices in Los Angeles on Friday calling for ICE to be banned from SoFi Stadium during World Cup games.
- Workers are also demanding the right to walk off the job if federal immigration enforcement enters the stadium and creates a reasonable fear for their safety.
Hundreds of workers and activists gathered at Mac Arthur Park in downtown Los Angeles on May 1. The group marched to the Los Angeles World Cup offices to demand ICE be kicked out of So Fi Stadium during games. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) By Kevin Baxter Staff Writer Follow June 5, 2026 8:01 PM PT 4 min Click here to listen to this article Share via Close extra sharing options Email Facebook X Linked In Threads Reddit Whats App Copy Link URL Copied! Print 0:00 0:00 1x This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.
Nearly 2,000 food and beverage workers at SoFi Stadium voted overwhelmingly Friday to authorize a strike just a week before the venue will stage the first World Cup game on U.S. soil in more than three decades.
Negotiations on a labor contract between Unite Here Local 11, the union representing the cooks, dishwashers, concession workers and bartenders at SoFi and, Legends Global, the stadium’s food-service operator, are expected to continue Monday despite the vote. But Kurt Petersen, the union’s co-president, said if an agreement isn’t reached workers will walk off the job and the 70,000 fans arriving for the June 12 match between the U.S. and Paraguay will be greeted by hundreds of picketers.